LADIES' COLUMN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XL, Issue 12242, 11 April 1903, Page 5 (Supplement)

LADIES' COLUMN.

LONDON FASHION NOTES. (WRITTEN SPECIALLY FOR THE SEW ZEALAND HERALD.) London, February 28. Poplin will still be with, us, and there are also to be soft clinging crepes and silk muslin and voiles and louisines and satins and silks, so thin as almost to be transparent. They ■will all be of the clinging description, and even the light woollen, materials will be as thin as possible in weight, and very supple and clinging in quality. The Pompadour will be one of the leading notes of picturesque dresses this coming season, and already there are innumerable materials to be had covered with tiny flowers. The silk delaines and cotton and sprigged muslins are all tastefully patterned with tiny flowers. When material. is desired that will drape softy and gracefuly it is not easy to beat voile, and so' voile will be still a leading fabric in the summer. As a variation, however, we are told of a new make Of canves with very open mesh, which, here and there, has interwoven a blurred chasmeriaa pattern in fine thread, and when made.up over a silk lining, the pattern is said to show up with charming effect. Another make of canves is described as being woven to look just like Hungarian point lace or Greek insertion. This is in twine colour, and should be made up over a bright glace silk, or else over an ivory satin which is shot with silver and gold. Quite the newest idea for lining purposes is the .use of this gold and silver shot satin, and I am told that it looks extremely well. Loose makes of canvas in dark : colours are to be mounted over a foundation of white. Indeed, all loosely-woven materials are to be mounted over white, or at any rate some very light colour, in order to give a delicacy of tone about- the whole. Silky alpacas are to be fashionable, and it is reported that quite the latest of these are florally patterned, while in other cases spots and stripes are used, and there are other kinds again which are two-sided, and so" have somewhat of a shot effect, such, for instance, as one blue side and one pink side; or, perhops, a light green one will have a white back, and so on. Of course, this variety of alpaca is quite a novelty, and is reported to be very pretty. . As for blouse stuffs, they are very fascinating,. most of them being covered with delicate floral designs, and finished with coloured borders, and these borders are to .be used for trimming purposes. The thin silks are delightful, and are of almost transparent quality, while in light woollen materials the patterned delaines with artistic borderings are very nicg. Peau delaine is a material with many attractions, and peau de soie makes some of the more costly blouses. A number of the latest model blouses, by the way, have no collar bands, but are cut in the all-round style of former times. Therefore, strings of pearls or coral or torquoises will still be worn as a finish to the throat. The collarless blouse is not altogether pleasing. There are very few girls who look well with bare necks, but still it seems to have attractions for the wearers. It is thought in some quarters that practically all plain-coloured materials will be little worn, all flowered and figured and bordered stuffs having everything their own way. In conclusion to-day,. I will add a few words about shoes, though really there are not many changes in chaussure year by year. Sucli novelties as are introduced are seldom in good taste, and so usually fail to please the more cultured class of wearers. This spring, however, there are to be seen in the shops -a few new designs which are neat and dainty, and do not belong to the highlycoloured and " decorated Gothic order of architecture" as a masculine friend expresses it. One of these is a patent-leather shoe, which is a sort of compromise between the Oxford, or lace-up. and the Princess, or strap-shoe. The front and sides are of perfectly plain patent-leather;' free from all disfigurements of toe-cap or "broguing." Over the inster pass four straps Of the shining leather occupying about the same space as the lacing partof an Oxford shoe: But the straps instead of being each in one piece fastening on "a button at the side of the shoe, are in. two pieces," one rising ■ from eacli side of the shoe, "and buttoning' exactly in the middle of the instep. These look very well, arid afford abundant ventilation in warm weather, being better than Oxford shoes in this respect',, although, of course, not so cool as the Princess or Court shape. ' Another noveltv is a variety of this one. It re-introduces the ugly and unhealthy and ebjoceionable old asm on of . elastic-sides, but in a greatly mitigated degree. The shoe which is, as in the previous case, of bright patent leather, lias", the same four straps buttoned in the middle. , But they are never unbuttoned! A small piece of elastic is let into each side just enough to allew the shoe to be easily slipped on and off without the bother of buttoning and unbottoning the four straps each time. This will be a great boon to lazy wearers, and it •is hoped that the spaces between the straps will afford ample ventilation, and so get rid of one of the drawbacks which—• apart from their ■ ugliness— elasticsided shoes of former days. Still, elasticsides can never be pretty, and the sham buttons are not "good tote," so I fancy that most people of " good form" will prefer thfe make of shoes which I first mentieaed. But Princess and Court shoes will still "be very largely worn during the summer.As in former seasons, patent-leather, with its combined neatness and. smartness, continues and will continue the favourite material for shoes in the case of "West End" wearers. . •

A COAT IN EMBROIDERED MUSLIN. The above sketch is of a little coat in embroidered muslin and. what is called Quay but what was really Northamptonshire lace. The original was formed of verv beautiful old muslin embroidery, but it may be made of one of the really fine machine-embroidered muslins or lawns that may be had in deep cream lace tone 3 at the good shops. •

AN EVENING FROCK.

Another charming frock in pink mousseline de soie is sh«wn. It is very flowery, with roses outlining the .deoeHetage; and vandykes on the skirt and heading, the flounce* of Ghantilly lace which run up in point* on the mouss : The • Chantilly lace is spangled with mother-of-pearl sequins, and the swathed waistband is of a very pale blue. It is a very delicate and dainty scheme of colour. The roses are of * ver~ *>ale pink.